Germany to hold talks with Italy, Japan on next-generation fighter jet program

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Monday said he would hold talks with his Italian and Japanese counterparts in the coming weeks to explore Berlin's possible participation in their next-generation fighter jet program with the UK.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Berlin with his British counterpart, Pistorius stressed the need for swift negotiations after the UK, Italy and Japan spent five years establishing their current contractual framework.

"We agree that time is an absolutely critical factor here, and we want to reach a point very quickly where we can determine whether there is a mutual willingness among the three parties to include Germany, and what the reciprocal conditions for such an inclusion might be," Pistorius said.

He added that initial discussions had already taken place.

Pistorius said he planned to meet Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi within the next few weeks.

"That will give us an initial sense of the conditions under which this might be feasible – both in terms of the timeline and the distribution of work," he said.

"Following that, we will decide on the next steps – or perhaps decide not to proceed. We want to move as quickly as possible. We are all fully aware that there is no time to lose."

Pistorius warned that Germany and its partners could not afford to spend another five years negotiating, stressing that the new aircraft capability must be available in the early 2040s regardless of the outcome.

His remarks followed Chancellor Friedrich Merz's announcement during a visit to Tokyo last week that Germany would explore a joint fighter jet project with Japan and its partners.

Berlin is seeking alternatives after the collapse in June of its long-troubled fighter jet project with France, known as the Future Combat Air System.